For African-Americans, social media sites offer a digital megaphone for discussing trends, politics, movies, and music – a place to voice opinions and join conversations on a range of topics. Increasingly, social platforms are growing with this connected and engaged audience. African-Americans of all ages connect and engage with social media. There is considerable variance in how the different age groups interact with social media: Facebook is most popular with 45-64 year-olds, Tumblr is most popular with 35-44 year-olds and African-American Millennials spend 11% more time on Twitter than 35-64 year-olds combined.

Blacks feel stronger about using social media and its impact on products and brands than the general market. African-Americans are 81% more likely to show support for a favorite company or brand using social media than the general population, and 76% more likely to share opinions by posting reviews and ratings online.

Winter is right around the corner, and the holiday season is in full swing! So what are topping people’s wish lists this year? For gamers, it depends on the device.

“Destiny” recently took the gaming world by storm when it was released last month, and now it tops the list of the most coveted games on the PS4. Meanwhile, perennial crowd-pleaser “Call of Duty” holds the top spot for Xbox One with “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare,” and “The Sims 4,” the new entry to one of the biggest franchises of PC gaming in recent years, tops the list for computer gamers. The two new versions of Nintendo’s popular fighting franchise “Super Smash Bros.” top the lists for Wii U and 3DS. Finally, the building block empire of “Minecraft” tops the list of titles for Vita.

The No. 1 coveted games illustrate a trend we see among the top 10 anticipated games across devices: People like what they know. Apart from “Destiny,” the only other new properties in the top 10 for any of the six platforms examined were “Watch Dogs,” the fifth most anticipated title on Wii U (the title released earlier this year for PCs and PS and Xbox platforms, but is releasing in November for Wii U), and “Freedom Wars,” the sixth most coveted title on Vita. Even “Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed” (the third most wanted Vita game) is technically a sequel, though the original title released only in Japan.

With the lists dominated by recognizable brands for the gaming industry, new entries from annual franchises are highly coveted. These include “Madden NFL 15,” “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare,” “NBA 2K15,” “Assassin’s Creed: Unity,” “NHL 15,” “Just Dance 2015″ and “Pokemon Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby.” In the case of “Grand Theft Auto V”—one of the most popular games of 2013—a new iteration isn’t even necessary to drive desire: Rockstar is releasing updated versions for PS4 and Xbox One, making the game the fourth most coveted game for both platforms in 2014.

Less frequent but equally as enticing series also made the list with new iterations, including “The Sims 4,” “Civilization: Beyond Earth,” “Far Cry 4,” “Super Smash Bros.,” “Dragon Age: Inquisition,” “LEGO Batman 3″ and “World of Warcraft: Lords of Draenor.” Clocking in the greatest length of time between iterations, however, is the long-awaited sequel “Wasteland 2,” which continues where the original title left off more than 15 years ago.

Now more than ever, our lives have become consistently hectic. Twenty-four hours never seem long enough to complete our daily tasks. So, it’s no surprise today’s consumer is attracted to the convenience of online shopping. Who can resist side-by-side price comparisons, peer-to-peer consumer reviews and having items delivered right to our door without ever getting dressed or leaving the house?

As the leader in market research, Nielsen knows the affinity for online shopping continues to grow. In fact, global consumers’ intentions to shop online have doubled in many categories in the past three years. E-commerce sales have increased by 20% to $1.5 trillion, according to Nielsen’s report titled E-Commerce: Evolution or Revolution in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods World?

Findings from the report show that the largest adopters of online shopping are the millennial generation (ages 18 to 34). Forty% of older generations say they plan to make a purchase online compared to 53% of millennials. A large portion (53%) of millennials are multicultural – African American, Asian or Hispanic – and drive over half of online shopping behaviors.

Multicultural online shopping in various categories tends to outpace that of the general population. Seventy-seven% of Asian Americans have made an Internet purchase in the last year and are twice as likely to spend $2,500 or more per year on Internet shopping than the total U.S. market. Fifty-four% of African Americans who plan destination trips use online resources, and 31% of upscale Hispanics purchased clothing online in the last year.

Despite the rapid boom in online shopping, there are still plenty of categories where consumers feel more secure buying from a brick and mortar retail channel, especially higher priced items and food. Research for these products may be done online, but consumers prefer to visit actual stores to make their purchases.

The most successful marketers will commit to connecting with the younger, multicultural consumer, while ensuring all online shopping experiences are convenient, provide user-friendly websites and are cost-effective and safe. These factors will help your business thrive and remain competitive, keeping the e-commerce industry healthy. So cheers to online shopping. It’s clearly here to stay. Which is a good thing, since our time seemingly continues to disappear.

]]>http://blackamericaweb.com/2014/12/01/whats-next-shopping/feed/0Billboard-Neilsen-2014-2bawjazminependleton‘Tis the Season for the Power of Black Consumershttp://blackamericaweb.com/2014/11/24/tis-the-season-for-the-power-of-black-consumers/
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To spend or how much to spend, that is the question millions of Americans are faced with each holiday season. But unlike in recent years, it appears that many are opting to loosen the purse strings this holiday season and forgo tightly budgeted shopping lists for more bountiful spending sprees. In particular, multicultural consumers are expected to drive this year’s increase in holiday spending with African-Americans making up the largest percentage of the increase, according to Nielsen’s 2014 Holiday Sales Forecast.

Trends such as rising consumer confidence in the economy, lowered inflation and falling gas prices indicate that consumers overall are eager to spend more this holiday season than last year. Multicultural households are projected to account for 43% of the increased spending this holiday season. African-Americans are expected to be the heavier spenders this season, accounting for 17%, spending more than other groups.

So where are African-Americans shopping?

With multicultural households driving this year’s online growth, African-Americans plan to spend 20% more online compared to last year. African-Americans also plan to spend 15% more at electronics retailers and grocery stores this season.

African-Americans’ holiday lists are diverse as well. Electronics including smartphones, TVs and laptops will account for 17% more spending by African-Americans compared to 10% of total households. Other product areas where increased spending is planned include 17% more on food and 15% more on apparel.

African-Americans — at 44 million strong and approximately 14.2% of the country’s population — make up a powerful group with a growing impact on American culture and business. This demographic is largely young — 53% are under the age of 35 — giving them an oversized influence on the latest trends, especially with music and pop culture. In addition, higher academic achievement has translated into increases in household income — 44% of all African-American households now earn $50,000 or more and 23% earn above $75,000. And these higher household incomes, coupled with overall population growth, are driving the substantial purchasing power of the African-American consumer, which is expected to reach $1.3 trillion in a few short years.

The 2014 Holiday Sales Forecast insights were derived from two custom studies: a consumer survey of more than 25,000 U.S. households in September 2014 and sales forecasts from an analysis of 92 categories covering five departments representing more than $100 billion in sales.

To read more about this year’s holiday shopping findings, please visit www.nielsen.com.

Music knows no boundaries in America. It’s the great equalizer among consumers of different ages, languages, races, incomes, genders and geographies. People often find that music is a mirror of and a bridge to an increasingly diverse society. Stevie Wonder was right when she sang that “music is a world within itself, it is a language we all understand; with an equal opportunity for all to sing, dance and clap their hands,” but that sonic and human convergence is increasingly multicultural in a way that makes music fans of all races and ethnicities in the U.S. and abroad feel welcome at the party.

African-American, Asian American, and Hispanic consumers represent the vanguard of musical trends in the U.S. They drive the development of musical taste and they’re readily adopting new ways of listening to music. So, as multicultural consumers continue to pioneer pathways of taste and adoption, companies interested in understanding the future of music would be well served to keep these groups at the top of their engagement lists.

WHO IS THE MULTICULTURAL CONSUMER?

The multicultural consumer is increasingly the American consumer. Since 1990, the share of the U.S. population that identifies itself as African-American, Asian American or Hispanic has grown to 37 from 24%. And according to current U.S. Census projections, these groups will make up a majority of the U.S. population by 2043. When we look at just the consumers under the age of 18, however, U.S. Census projections from 2012 expect the minority-majority tipping point to arrive in just four years.

Learn more about Multicultural music listeners Nielsen and visit www.nielsen.com/africanamericans. Go to the Consumer Corner section and download the report: Listen Up: African-American Consumers and Music.

When it comes to advertising, cultural identity is closely linked to Blacks’ affinity for products and purchasing behavior. Compared to the general population, African-Americans are 30% more likely to believe diversity in advertising is important, and 38% are more likely to make a purchase when the advertisements have African-American people included.

Forty-four percent of African-Americans surveyed said they are more likely to purchase or support products that are owned or supported by African-Americans or other diverse groups, and 43% are more likely to patronize a business if it is a minority-owned business. Twenty percent of Blacks attest to being more likely to purchase a product supported or endorsed by an African-American celebrity or musician. The importance of cultural identity continues to be more significant to higher income households in the areas of business ownership and celebrity endorsements. Fifty-five percent of Blacks with household incomes of $50,000 or more said they would purchase or support a product if it was sold or supported by a person of color or minority-owned business, while only 20% of non-African-Americans in the same income bracket felt this way. Furthermore, nearly half of all higher income African-Americans say they actively seek out diverse businesses.

Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Drake, Selena Gomez, Janelle Monáe—many of the artists on the charts today are young and multicultural – just like their fans.

Millennials are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation in the U.S.—40% identify as African-American, Asian American or Hispanic. This young and diverse generation makes up 24 % of the country’s overall population (the same as Baby Boomers), and their spending power is growing. That’s good news for industries they favor, like music. Multicultural consumers spend, on average, $7 more on music than the total market, accounting for 31 %of total spending on music.

So who are these Millennial Multicultural music listeners?

According to the recent report Listen Up: Music & the Multicultural Consumer, Multicultural consumers are more likely to attend live concerts and music festivals, spending $50 on live music annually, compared with $48 for non-Hispanic white consumers. Multicultural consumers also prefer customizing playlists on streaming services more than the total population. And they share what they find on social media: 48%”like” Facebook posts from musical artists and bands (vs. 42% for the total population), and 43% shared music through Facebook, Twitter, email or other digital mediums (vs. 37%).

Nielsen understands your consumer habits. What does this mean exactly? Nielsen is a global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch, buy and listen to. We measure your consumer trends – how and where you shop, what media you watch, your smartphone usage, and much more We provide this valuable information to companies that make the products you buy and produce the media you enjoy.

We’re all about understanding everyday consumers just like you. And it’s consumers like you who play a very important role in our measurement process. So next time you’re asked to participate in a Nielsen study, please say yes – because your opinions matter.

Conscious Consumers are responsible shoppers, willing to research the companies that they do business with, understand their influence and are willing to be a social change agent to better their communities.

Savvy and sophisticated African-Americans are a powerful economic force representing a whopping $1.1 Trillion buying power in the U.S. Black consumers have unique purchasing behaviors and viewing patterns that represent a diverse African-American population. Understanding what Black consumers watch, buy and listen to will help companies understand future trends for products and services. Nielsen encourages you to become more aware of your consumer power.

The African-American woman is a trendsetter, a social maven, the head of her household, a leader in business and community. She is progressive with her thoughts on health, entertainment and diversity in advertising. She is becoming more empowered with saving, spending and investments.

Religion plays a strong role providing a foundation for her decisions and family values. Passionate about products she likes, she will share her experience with friends and family on social media and through word of mouth. She is culturally engaged and is a conscious consumer making mindful decisions on how she engages with products, brands and companies often outpacing other demographic groups.

The African-American woman offers an unparalleled opportunity for brands.

Get to know her, understand the key drivers of her purchasing habits, likes and dislikes, her preferences, behaviors and her value of culture and community.